


Incogitant

by Strawfaerie



Category: Nazo Unleashed, Sonic RPG, Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27931429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawfaerie/pseuds/Strawfaerie
Summary: This takes place in a universe where both Nazo and Seelkadoom exist. The timeline takes place after Nazo Unleashed and before the events of Sonic RPG and Sonic Forces. Nazo finally recovers and breaks out of Eggman's base with 6 of the chaos emeralds, as well as Eggman's only living minion, Lucille. Eggman, in a rush, creates Seelkadoom; a hedgehog with the DNA of both Sonic and Shadow.Now that both of these terrors are unleashed onto the world, it's up to Sonic and Shadow to prevent another catastrophe from destroying the Earth... or is it?
Kudos: 2





	1. Before we begin

NOTE: I do not own any character in this story besides Lucille and Charlotte, all other characters are canon and owned by SEGA. The only two exceptions are Nazo and Seelkadoom. Nazo is owned by ChakraX and Seelkadoom is owned by MidNightMaren. If any other OCs appear in the story, I will edit this accordingly.

This story was/is written by both me and my friend Toni all of this is legit just a roleplay taking place in my sonic rp server on discord. If anyone is interested, you can join via asking me!

Any character on this roster will/has shown up in the story, so don't feel confused if you don't see them there yet! Other canon characters (i.e Sonic or Shadow) currently won't be showing up because we have nobody writing them. However, if no one shows up to write them, then Toni and/or I will fill in those parts. 

Infinite _will_ be in this story, but his story will follow as close as to the rewritten/spin off of Sonic Forces by Garrulous64 on Youtube.

I have doubts that many people will read this, but I just wanted to share it w/ the world since I thought it would be a fun story to read! Updates will be slow as Toni and I are busy with school/work, but we will try to keep it updated as best as we can!


	2. I

_With Eggman gone from the base, Lucille could relax! Well, not fully- she was tasked with polishing his various vehicles and machines while he was gone, but at least she didn't have to be scared to have her back turned. Ever since Nazo recovered- she wasn't forced to go on missions as much, as all of Eggman's time has been focused on the new hedgehog. At least that meant she wasn't experimented on as much._

_Though, it made her wonder if this meant she was no longer useful... she hoped Eggman wouldn't throw her out onto the streets- she'd have no home. ~~But wouldn't that be better?~~_ _Not like he would just toss her out though, she was still useful for tracking emeralds!... But so was Nazo.. Well, at least she could sit here and polish machines, fun._

_Would she be having more fun going out on missions? Maybe, only if she were stronger. As of right now, the emeralds Eggman kept were locked away somewhere, hidden from everyone. Usually, Eggman would let her hold onto one due to the strength it gave her, but he's been hiding them as of late. Perhaps it had something to do with Nazo's appearance... A lot of things have changed ever since he found Nazo._

_Did Nazo even like being here? Probably not. Eggman didn't seem to treat him like he did with everything else, though. Sure, Eggman acts like he has control over Nazo- but Nazo was living and breathing, he must have his own free will there. Maybe he would leave one day- the thought made Lucille shudder. Eggman's anger was always terrifying..._

_Annnd that's the last vehicle polished! Wiping her hands clean, she sighed and stood back up, cracking her back. This sucked, it really did. She almost wished she could go out and do something fun- even if Eggman was just bringing her along, she wanted to go outside. A breath of fresh air would be wonderful right about now..._

"Here I am- stuck inside a cold, metal room. Cleaning machines. What I wouldn't give to do _anything_ else..."

_At long last, that egg-head Doctor was out of the base doing god knows what._

_Nazo could seriously care less what was occupying eggman’s time._

_At last, he could breathe; break out of the restraints—albeit they’re quite faux in his eyes—that’s been keeping him from making his way back toward the Master Emerald._

_Sure, the doctor brought Nazo back to his prime, but he could seriously care less._

_He was an ally temporarily, now he’s nothing but a burden and a wall in the way of his original goal._

_Nazo had played along with Eggman’s ‘strings’ he had attached to Nazo. He’d played the part of an underling well, as humiliating as it was._

_But it was all for good reasoning._

_Eggman has 6 of the Chaos Emeralds in his possession._

_It took Nazo weeks, maybe a month or two to finally pinpoint where the damn emeralds were stashed away-_

_It took more than enough sneaking around and studying to find out their location within these dull, metallic walls._

_Nazo was almost impressed at how well they were hidden- but alas, this irritating game of cat and mouse has finally come to an end._

_Standing before the well locked and heavily secured iron doors, Nazo’s eyes flickered from the door’s password panel, to his own hands a few times._

_It’s been awhile since he’s used a good bit of his abilities.._

_He’s almost a tad worried he’ll cause himself an injury of some sorts._

_Ah- but thinking like this is only hindering him. Making him.. weak._

_That won’t do._

_This puny door is nothing compared to him._

_Gritting his teeth, Nazo pressed his palm against the doors—_

_And soon enough,_

_After very much destroying the barricades with no disregard for the noise, nor the irritating alarms blaring in his ears-_

_He smiles a wicked grin to himself, standing before all 6 Emeralds._

_This is it. Finally, the day Nazo breaks out of this good for nothing robo-hell._

_It was quiet when Eggman was gone, too quie-_

_Shit, she spoke too soon. As the alarms were blaring in her ears, she ran across the base trying to find the source of the problem. Had someone broken in? The sound of something exploding sure seemed like it. Making her way to the source, she sharply inhaled before hiding behind the wall._

_Nazo was right there- stealing the emeralds._

_There's no way she could fight him, his strength was leagues above her own! Especially now that he had 6 of the emeralds, she felt her strength leave her. What should she do? What_ **_could_ ** _she do? Tapping on the bracelet on her wrist, she tried to silently alert Eggman of the breach. Hopefully it wouldn't-_

"Calling: Doctor Robotnik."

_Fuck._

_Frantically, she tried to silence the rings, but to no avail. Maybe Nazo wouldn't hear it over the alarms. God- please just pick up or go to voicemail or something! Nazo could easily kill her in less than 3 seconds and she didn't feel like dying quite frankly. Turning her head, she quietly peaked around the corner to see if Nazo had left- well, he wasn't there anymore, so perhaps she was safe._

_He was in front of her, wasn't he?_

_Tapping his fingers against the glossy surface of the final emerald, Nazo was ready to take off and leave this hellish nightmare behind-_

_That is until-_

_A monotone mechanical voice hits his eardrums-_

“Calling: Doctor Robotnik.”

_Oh how wonderful, suppose he’ll be hounded down much sooner than he’d like to be.._

_And he already has so much to do after breaking out of here.._

_Just his luck._

_A cold, freezing rage seared across his veins, turning to see who or what exactly is ratting him out.._

_Ah- of course._

_Lucille._

_Basically the only other living entity in this robotic nightmare._

_There she was-_

_Calling away to grab that damned doctor back in attempts to stop him._

_No witnesses- although it’s obvious who the culprit is._

_No backstabbers then._

_Although she wasn’t necessarily backstabbing- she’s merely doing what she knows is right._

_But that doesn’t stop Nazo._

_With 6 of the Emeralds in his possession, using chaos control was a sitch._

_Standing before her, Nazo glared down ya Lucille with an icy cold stare._

_He could easily kill her,_

_Getting rid of her with nothing left behind._

_Or..._

_A devious idea planted into his mind._

_He may know a way to throw the blame onto her.._

_Restraining his urge to kill, Nazo’s hand takes Lucille’s wrist in a tight grip, eyes still shooting daggers at her._

_Snatching the wristlet off her arm, he overheard Eggman’s irritated voice cracking over the speaker._

“Lucille? Lucille?! What’s going on?! Which alarms are going off?! Did you—!”

_And with a tiny snap, his voice was no more and the wristlet was broken into two, laying on the ground._

“Really thought you could get away with calling in the Doctor for back up, didn’t you?”

_With her wrist held tightly in his grip, she was sure he would snap it in half- there was a bit of relief when all he did was take off the wristlet and....snap it in half. Well, Eggman sure wasn't gonna be happy with that. However, Eggman was the last thing she was worried about at this moment. The cold stare Nazo gave was enough for her to shrink against the wall, shaking with fear._

_This is where she would die, isn't it?_

"I..."

_Can't you speak? Why are you getting so choked up now? Either way, he'd probably kill you. Don't you want to have some last words rather than die in silence?_

"Why are you doing this?"

_Lucille's voice was quiet, but audible nonetheless. Even though she was shaking in her boots, she couldn't help but feel... what was it? Not only was she filled with fear, but another familiar feeling._

_Angry._

_That's right, she was angry. Nazo was going to steal the emeralds and break out of here. That alone wouldn't bother her, not one bit- but Lucille was practically Eggman's punching bag. God knows if she'd be alive after this when Eggman got his hands on her. It pissed her off that Nazo didn't care for anything but himself. She understood wanting to get out of here-_

_The world really was cruel, wasn't it? Nobody here to show kindness to her, nobody here to let her know that it wasn't all bad. No, she was stuck in a hellhole, surrounded by selfish people. It was even worse when she couldn't defend or stand up for herself. Lost, no memory of her past, no one to turn to- this world had been against her from the start. Was it fate for her to be led here, to be led to this moment? She could die any second now and she had nothing to be proud of._

_Dying like this was... sad. Here she was, filled to the brim with anger, all built up over the years... and she couldn't even use that to her advantage. She would sit back and cower like she always did. Fighting back now wouldn't be considered brave, it would be stupid._

_What a pitiful girl._

_Examining the many emotions flash through Lucille’s face, Nazo’s chest leapt with sick joy as his plan would go off without any problems._

_Or.. was it joy? Or was it something else..? He couldn’t exactly tell-_

_But-_

_Perfect. She has no choice but to rely on him for the time being._

“If you want to live, you’re coming with me.”

_And without a second word from her, Nazo took off running down the flashing hallway. All 6 emeralds in hand, now all he needs left is the seventh._

_Not a clue where it is, but with Lucille now with him, he could easily buy time for himself before that Egghead finds him and puts yet another hindrance on his main goal._

_Finally, the two reach the end of the hall where it splits into two different directions._

_As much as he’ll have to trust Lucille to follow his instructions.._

_Nazo turned to face Lucille, shoving 3 of the emeralds into her arms._

“You should know this place better than anyone but that doctor himself. Get the end of the hallway to the storage closet and wait by the left side of the wall. There’s a hidden exit in there, wait till I come grab you. Don’t move.”

_He’ll bring Lucille with him, but the cameras simply show that Lucille is tucked away in the closet,_

_Leaving the two separated._

_While the Doctor spends whatever amount of time searching the closet, then he’ll be blind by rage, taking the route he believes Nazo took according to the camera._

_The hidden exit within the closet, the camera’s set up- it was almost too perfect._

_He’s 99% sure Eggman even forgot about that closet, much more the hidden exit._

_All he has to do now is hope that Lucille will listen to him and follow his lead until they’re far, far away from any of Eggman’s bases._

“Think you can pull this off with me?”


	3. II

_Carefully listening to Nazo- her mind was racing a hundred miles per second. If the doctor wasn't mad before, he sure as hell will be now that Lucille's involved. There was no possible route that she could take that would benefit her in this situation- if she declined, she'd be killed on the spot. If she listened, then she'd be torn apart by Eggman if he caught her. Why did she have to get caught up in all of this?_

_But... the idea of taking the emeralds and leaving Eggman's grasp was far more pleasant in her mind. She just prayed Nazo wouldn't leave her behind- otherwise her death might be more than certain. With a nod, she cradled the emeralds close to her chest- already feeling the power aiding her._

"Understood, not like I've got much of a choice." 

_With that, she took off down the hallway, making her way to the closet and hiding by the left side of the wall. Nazo must've studied this place for the past month, he may not have known it like the back of his hand like she did, but she admired his ability to come up with a plan on the spot. Still, she was curious about something._

_Why exactly did he want the chaos emeralds? No doubt, he was probably planning something evil, but what? Poor little Lucille wasn't conscious a couple months ago, so Nazo's previous... plans were unknown to her. Hopefully he wasn't planning on destroying the world or anything, that would kinda suck! Besides, where would he go afterwards?_

_She wished the alarms would silence already- it was starting to make her head hurt. The doctor would be here soon, maybe, just maybe... she could escape. Was she nervous? Was she excited? Lucille felt like her heartbeat was in her ears, she felt adrenaline, if nothing._

_Just focus on getting out of here, that was her best plan. Once she was out of Eggman's grip, she didn't mind where life took her._

_Perfect. All according to plan. With a satisfied grin plastered on his face, Nazo held the remaining emeralds tight to himself as he raced down the hallway, making sure to destroy a camera or two to make all the attention onto him. Eggman will search the closet for hours most likely, that is if he watched the camera route he sent Lucille on._

_He’d make his exit obvious, a quick burst to the wall and it’s in shambles, letting the outside air pour in to the base._

_Nazo then destroyed the outside camera staring directly at him, making sure he taunted it’s final filming moments with a toothy grin._

_Now for step two._

_His legs began to carry him toward the area where the closet Lucille was tucked away in. Giving the ground a good few stomps near it’s right, sure enough he heard the metallic echo underneath his feet._

_Ripping the faux glass along with the exit door open, he hopped down the mini flight of stairs, knocking at the entry into the closet._

_Not giving a second word, hoping Lucille was on the left like he asked, Nazo pushed open the door, only to knock over a shelf on the inside during the process._

_Shaking his head to get rid of the dust, he turned toward his Red Panda companion, holding the heavy door of the exit open._

“If you wanna get out of here, follow my lead, and quick, he’s sure to be here soon.

We have more than enough time once we’re away from this base though, so don’t start complaining about anything until then yeah?”

_Lucille sat there patiently, well, as patiently as one could be during a breakout. Tapping her foot against the ground, her tail lashed back and forth anxiously. She began to wonder- what if it all went wrong? What if Eggman was already here? What would she do? The emeralds glowed in her arms, though she didn't notice due to her overthinking mind. She was about to lose her mind- only for the door to be knocked down, a shelf following with it._

_Glad that she chose the right side to lean against._

"Anything is better than here, lead the way."

_Deciding not to question it, she put all of her trust into this hedgehog. Not like she had much of a choice, it was either that or... she shuddered. No time to think about that, Eggman would be here any minute- better not give him an idea of where they're running off to._

_A new emotion was bubbling up inside of her- excitement? It was foreign, she had never felt this way, not even on the missions that Eggman dragged her on. This was something she found thrilling, escaping from the bastard that tortured her for years- god, this was a nice change of pace._

_What could go wrong?_

_Practically rushing Lucille out the hidden doorway, he quickly slammed the door shut, giving it a quick tug to make sure it was fully closed._

_Rushing back up the mini staircase, Nazo let a sigh of relief hiss through his teeth._

_So she did listen, this plan was a success._

_All that was left was to get out of here._

_Twilight skies painted the world above them, the timing was impeccable._

_Darker hours, harder to locate the two._

“Let’s get going, gotta get away before we can rest.”

_Taking hold of Lucille’s wrist once more, Nazo took off in the direction toward the outer forests. He’s sure they’ll find some sort of shelter for the night._

_Already attempting to formulate tomorrow’s plan, he hopes he can make it to station square around noonish tomorrow, and find a place the duo could actually hide out that wouldn’t drag Eggman’s attention to._

_Once these final barriers are out of the picture-_

_He’ll get right back on track to find out where the Master Emerald is once again, and maybe even the 7th Chaos emerald.._

_But for now- he’s off to take him, the emeralds, and Lucille to a makeshift shelter before the moon rises to its highest point._

_With a squeak- suddenly she was being dragged away again. As Nazo led them to... well, she had no clue- probably a shelter of some kind; her gaze focused on the night sky, amazed. The only time she ever saw the stars was... years ago, she felt. Eggman never let her out at night, so seeing them for the first time since she woke up was refreshing, to say the least._

_Lucille figured it was best not to make idle conversation right now- just find a place to stay, then she could ask any questions she had. For now, her mind was fixated on the sky- the stars shined in her eyes. Space was so vast and limitless- most of it was unexplored, unidentified. This feeling of freedom was almost overwhelming- she had imagined it for years, but to feel it was a whole different story._

_Her attention turned to the 3 emeralds she was still holding, still glowing softly in her arms. Somehow, having them with her made her feel safe- much safer than them being in the Doctor's hands. She was still uneasy about Nazo's plans, but she couldn't really do anything about that- might as well go with the (seemingly) lesser of the two evils._

_Well, it seems like they only had a few options of hiding: in the trees, a farm, or some caves._

_Finally reaching a deep point in the forest, Nazo’s pace began to slow down to a speed walk, head turning left and right for any type of shelter._

_The beginning hours of morning were nigh, and the sky was absolutely beaming. Nothing that fascinated Nazo too much, but.._

_Turning his body to take a look at Lucille’s unwavering gaze toward the starry canvas in the sky, he gave the night time a second look._

_Truly, he doesn’t seem to pinpoint what draws Lucille in but.._

_Let’s not over think it shall we Nazo?_

_The nighttime must not be so boring after all if it captivates Lucille._

_What /was/ capturing Nazo’s attention though was the emeralds tucked away in Lucille’s arms.._

_What caused them to glow? Lucille must have some sort of connection to the emeralds.. maybe?_

_He’d Shake his head, shoving the thought to the back of his mind for now. After hours of escape, exhaust was beginning to catch up to Nazo._

“Have any idea where we are?” 

_Nazo turned to ask Lucille but-_

_Two more steps Nazo took and his breath hitched in his throat, eyes going wide as he tripped-_

_And tumbled down a hill, smacking his face right into a rock, emeralds rolling a few feet away from him._

_Groaning, Nazo shook the stars away from his vision and quickly began to scramble for the emeralds but-_

_Looking up, it seems it was pure luck or the emeralds.._

_Had led his tumble straight toward a cave. Not too deep, but enough to hide in._

“Hey, Panda!

I think I found our shelter for the night..”

_Lucille snapped back to reality, about to answer Nazo's question when he suddenly tumbled down the hill, hitting a rock and groaning. She would've laughed- but she had been long conditioned to hold it in; she carefully made her way down to the hill, helping him pick up the emeralds._

"That was quite a nasty fall, I hope you're alright."

_Blinking, she looked at the cave they were led to. Well, it was better than nothing, but it was dark... Lucille's tail curled around her waist, attempting to comfort herself. The dark was scary- as she trembled, the emeralds began to glow once more, lighting up the cave. Nothing too bright, but it kept her from being scared of complete darkness._

"I've never been with the Doctor out here before, I don't think he'll catch us in the cave."

_Sighing, she finally released most of the tension in her body- sitting on the ground and closing her eyes._

_Holy shit, she actually broke out of the Doctor's base._

_Holy shit, they took the emeralds._

_The Doctor was definitely gonna kill her if he found her._

_Hey, she was with somebody now, though. While she never got to hang around Nazo too much, she did watch over his scanners while he was healing- and she got a few peaks of him training by himself. Nazo's strength was nothing to joke about, she was pretty sure she heard Eggman mention something about him beating Sonic and Shadow. She didn't feel too scared, she'd be way more terrified if she had been alone during this._

"I...I think I know where we are."

_Carefully tucking the emeralds away, she stepped back outside, looking around the forest._

"We might be in the Mystic Ruins."

_Mystic Ruins..._

_That struck a chord in Nazo’s memory._

_The Mystic Ruins... if he remembers correctly.._

_Crawling out a tad to peek his head upwards-_

_That’s right. That ominous shadow that peered down over the forest they lay in.._

_It’s definitely Angel Island._

_Definitely where the Master Emerald rests._

_This was almost /too/ easy._

_The only problem now was to get up to the Island._

_Last time he practically spawned on the Island, but now.._

_He doesn’t think Chaos control could get him that high up._

_Sighing, Nazo would dwell on the rest later. Listening to the faint sounds around the area, he could hear rushing water and the rattling of train tracks._

_They must be very near the Safari Area of the mystic ruins._

_Shaking his head, he attempted to drive the next steps of his plan out of the way; it’s time to rest. There’s plenty of time tomorrow to pick up with the plan._

_Ah- but._

_Now he isn’t exactly alone.._

_Nazo’s weary gaze looks toward Lucille, finally giving her a slight nod in thanks for telling him where they’re at._

_What will he do now..? He’s almost positive Lucille will try to stop his attempts of detonating Earth._

_He’ll have to do something.._

_Sure, he could easily leave her behind but.._

_Something about her connection to the chaos emeralds intrigued him.._

_As his mind began to dwell on the questions that formed in his mind, Nazo leaned his body back against the cool, damp rocky surface of the cave, turning his head to face the mouth of the cave, keeping an eye out for any possible intruders._

_You’re gonna be stuck with her for awhile Nazo.._

_Might as well get to know her a bit._

“So tell me,” _he began, tapping his index finger against the surface of one of the glowing emeralds._ “What’s your story? Why were you stuck with that damned professor?”


	4. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Twinkle Park arc is so long so I'm splitting it into 4 chapters lmao

_The Mystic Ruins were always pretty to Lucille- even if she never got to explore them much. She's seen a few of the areas, but most of her time was spent around the Final Egg and the jungle. Other than that, the rest of the area was unexplored by her. Angel Island always hung above the ruins, it was a place she always wanted to explore, something about it just... called to her. She almost got lost in thought until she heard Nazo's voice._

_Her story, huh?_

_It wasn't a pretty one, nor one she liked to tell- but she supposed she owed him that much._

"Well, when I first showed up on this planet years ago, I just... kind of woke up in the middle of nowhere. Only thing I knew was my name, nothing else- no family, friends, home, nothing. I ended up stumbling onto the Doctor's door and he took me in."

_She could've left it there- but Nazo knew there was more to it than that. The amounts of scars and modifications on her body told many more stories alone._

"It wasn't... it wasn't that bad at first, he just wanted to make me some kind of warrior or something. But... then the experiments and torture started. I was stuck with him because I'm weak- I don't have any strength on my own. The only time I could actually fight was when the Doctor lent me a chaos emerald."

_Shuddering at the memories- she hugged herself close, her tail curling around her once more. Lucille looked over to the chaos emeralds, they glowed dimly as she recalled her past. None of it was pleasant, there was never a single time the Doctor had ever shown her kindness. Such a thing didn't exist in his heart._

"I was mostly used to track down the chaos emeralds- but he kept me so weak to the point I could barely do that. I... When you came along, Nazo- I thought he might kick me out. You've got amazing power, it's incredible! If I were as strong as you, I wouldn't have to worry about anything!"

_Pausing, she looked at Nazo._

"What about you? What happened to you before the Doctor found you?"

_Although his face didn’t show it.. hearing Lucille, watching her face fall into a somber expression.._

_It subconsciously pressed his lips into a thin line, nodding his head to reassure her, he was listening.._

_At the end of her story, his shoulders rose with a deep sigh, turning his head back to face the mouth of the cave._

“Sounds like you kinda had it pretty rough huh? Using you like a lab rat?”

_At his rhetoric, he turned to face her once more with an eyebrow raised, bouncing his heel lightly against the dirt._

“Just another reason to get rid of this pitiful earth.

Smear it to nothing but ashes.. no master emerald, no humans..”

_He.. almost seemed to be talking to himself as he spoke, smashing his fist into his palm as he ground up a hard piece of dirt free, watching the dust fall to the ground._

“Not a single memory but your name.. almost tragic in a way.

So you want my story too huh?”

_Another rhetoric, head turning upward to face the roof of the cave, grinding his teeth together._

“All the negative energy used from the Chaos Emeralds.. I don’t remember the stories of each negative. But, each time the Chaos Emeralds were used for some evil deed, it slowly built me. I manifested a body due to the amount of negative energy, and from that, I was born.

I tried to destroy the Earth, more importantly the Master Emerald, The only thing in between me and infinite power. 

But of course that didn’t go as planned..”

_Nazo’s face slowly melted into one of irritation, rage mixed in._

“I was so close.. But those two damned hedgehogs had to step in and eventually pummel me into the ground. A defeat I won’t forget. A defeat that humiliated me..”

_Lucille was simply listening to him speak, already trying to push the memories out of her head. As he spoke, she nodded occasionally- though the words 'get rid of this pitiful earth' immediately worried her. Oh, okay, so this dude was planning on destroying the planet. Great! And she's here helping him! Well, not helping him- but she let him escape. Was this really better than staying in the lab with the Doctor? Perhaps Eggman was the only one keeping Nazo from continuing his plans... well, not like she has any power to stop him. Might as well just listen to his story._

_Something about destroying the Master Emerald struck a chord in her- almost in a painful way. Almost as if her heart was telling her to keep that from happening. Nonetheless, she continued to listen to him. He must have some reason for wanting the literal destruction of the planet, it better be a good one._

_So, he wanted to be the strongest thing in the world? The universe? Lucille almost felt pity for him; not like he asked to be born, nor to be made out of so much negativity- but he still wanted to destroy the Earth. She really wouldn't be able to stop him, hell, she highly doubted that she could talk him out of it. She faintly remembered hearing about him before she collapsed, but he must have plenty of power if he had to be stopped by both Sonic and Shadow._

"But if you destroy the Earth, where will you go? What will you do? Achieving infinite power is one thing, but what's to come after? If there really is anything to do after that.."

_And why destroy the entire planet? What's to stop him from taking it up to space and just... blowing it up there? Why take the Earth with it? The entire idea of destroying the Master Emerald wasn't sitting well with her at all- what was she feeling? Pain? Anger? She couldn't tell, but as time passed, the emeralds seemed to tremble, though it was barely noticeable._

"Couldn't you destroy the Master Emerald on its own, without taking the Earth as well?

”Simple, if I destroy the Earth, I have more than enough power to live in any world I wish. The universe is mine..”

_His voice trailed, shaking the final bits of dirt out of his palm, eyes seeming locked onto the tightened fist._

_He seemed to be a tab oblivious to Lucille’s disheartening hearing about his future plans for the Earth, mind focused elsewhere._

“There’s plenty to do with infinite power. It’s like I’ve beat this game of life. Finding out how far I can go is the funnest part. Seeing what I can do with so much power. No one will dare challenge me again. No more humiliation, the negativity from the emeralds will be satisfied-

All those failed, pitiful excuses of attempts? They’ll be somewhat redeemed.”

_It seemed he was just rambling on.._

“Destroying the Master Emerald alone won’t do anything.

Even when the Master Emerald is in pieces, it’s still able to process its power..

No Earth? No Angel Island. No Angel Island? No place for the emerald to take it’s stand.”

"But the game of life isn't about beating it, not like this- There's so many things you can do, so many things to see and enjoy. One of my favorite characters lives for fighting people stronger than him! He loves fighting and loves strong opponents- if he's beat, he accepts it because he knows he's gotta work on his own strength. He's pure of heart and that's one of the reasons why he's so strong- he would never resort to destroying something like the Master Emerald, he doesn't need to!"

_Lucille was standing up now, her fists clenched tightly at her side as she grew more passionate. The Doctor might have let her watch TV during her off times- she grew a big attachment to the main character for his strength and kindness._

_If the emeralds weren't glowing and vibrating before, they sure were now- but Lucille paid no mind to that._

"Besides- no one would challenge you because they would be afraid. If everyone was afraid of you, nobody would want to become your friend, not truly anyways. That would be lonely, wouldn't it? Living an existence without any friends would be sad, don't you think? You shouldn't have to live like that."

_Just as Nazo rambled on, so did she. She couldn't tell if she was riled up by the thought of the destruction of the emeralds, or if she really felt bad for this guy. Perhaps it was both. She just never understood the motives of a villain- especially the ones that just wanted to destroy or enslave the earth. It all seemed... pointless._

"You may be the strongest thing in the universe, but that's all you would be. What's the point if no one ever challenged you? You'd have no reason to use your powers at all, then."

_She looked at the chaos emeralds, picking up the cyan one and holding it close to her chest._

"Are you sure it's the negativity of these emeralds that drive you? Just as there is negative chaos, there is also positive. Just because you are born from something doesn't mean that's _who_ you are. You can do so much more with the kind of power you possess. Everyone fails sometimes, everyone gets humiliated by something- but we grow from it. You shouldn't use this pure energy for something so destructive, you'll only end up unhappy in the end."

_Lucille understood being surrounded by negativity- she really did. Hell, she started to believe that there was no such thing as kindness in this world, she had never been shown it after all. She might've gone insane if she had to stay in that lab any longer than she had to- but now? All that was gone. She was finally free from the hell she walked into all those years ago. It was all thanks to the hedgehog in front of her- the same one that she was now arguing with._

"I would've lost my mind there, you know? I would still be suffering day to day life if I was stuck with the Doctor- but now I've gained freedom. As much as I hate the Doctor- as much as I want to inflict the same pain on him as he did me... as much as I believed there was no such thing as kindness in this world... I don't have to suffer now thanks to you."

_She offered a small smile, clutching the emerald gently._

"I know you didn't do it out of the kindness of your heart, but it was still a good thing for you to have done. You went out of your way to do it- I'm an easy target, it would be no problem for you to kill me, and there would be no consequences of you doing so. Yet you didn't do it, you helped me escape and I'm grateful to you for that."

_Lucille, you've been talking quite an awful lot._

"But I am not you, nor do I understand how you think and feel- I shouldn't lecture you like that. Just... think more about what it is that you want. I highly doubt you've even explored a fraction of the things you could do on this planet. There are plenty of sights and things to experience, it would be a shame to destroy all of it... at least, not without seeing them first, I suppose."

_From Lucille getting all riled up, the Chaos Emeralds becoming rapid, and hearing Lucille’s final, desperate pleads, Nazo was.._

_Most definitely taken aback._

_Was this really the same sheepish red-panda who would shy away from anyone or anything back at the lab..?_

_Not only this.._

_But Nazo’s attention flickered from both Lucille to the emeralds beginning to vibrate and glow with obvious energy increase-_

_It /definitely/ has to do with Lucille’s random outburst.._

_Any of his suspicions before of Lucille being linked to the chaos emeralds were confirmed now._

_What was it she had with the gems? Who knows._

_All Nazo knows is that it’s something extraordinary._

“Hey.. I really think you should—“

_His voice was cut off by Lucille standing up —and the the emeralds’ glow brightening—_

_no matter how hard he tried to warn her about the newfound aura from the gems.._

_She wasn’t gonna hear him until she’s over with her lecture._

_A bubble of rage seemed to boil in his chest as she went on and on about what he should do.. what his purpose should be.._

_Who is she to point the path he should walk on? He was born from pure negative energy. He had far more power than her, than any other being._

_Why should he listen to what she has to say?_

_He opened his mouth to protest, letting the negative emotions filter through his veins as he prepared to stand on his own two feet and meet her eye to eye._

_But-_

_Then she began to talk about their escape plan. How he really took her with him /alive/ instead of killing her. She’s right. He could have very much killed her and went on without a care in the world.._

_In fact he’d probably have the 7th emerald by now.._

_But, he didn’t._

_He never laid a violent hand on her. The thought honestly didn’t even cross his mind.. almost as if he’d be revolted by doing so?_

_What the hell happened to him in his time at the lab? Did he grow /weaker?/_

_Nazo listens to her woes, and how someone like Nazo managed to save a soul like Lucille.._

**_Save_ ** _.—_

_He doesn’t know how to feel about that word. He doesn’t know the feeling. A mix between wanting to throw up vs a jab of pride._

_Something must’ve gone wrong in the lab with him.. that’s right.._

_That’s right._

_Who is she to tell him what to do?_

_Who is she to compare him to some measly fictional character she grew an attachment to?_

_Who is she to claim the world isn’t worth destroying?_

_Nazo wouldn’t feel unhappy destroying the world- he’d feel accomplished. Afterall- that’s what he’s made of. The negative energy collected by the years of the use of the emeralds, all of them-_

_Their use was to destroy the Earth._

_And it’s Nazo’s destiny to fulfill that role. If past users couldn’t do so?_

_So be it. Let it be Nazo to complete the tasks those under him could only dream about._

_Rage began to build up in his body once again, eyebrows furrowing in discontent._

_‘There’s also positivity from the emeralds too.’_

_The image of Lucille clutching the cyan emerald came into his mind._

_His limbs relaxed a tad, before tensing up once more._

_But he’s not positivity, he’s negativity._

“Show me one good thing this earth has to offer me, what exactly could this pitiful excuse for a space rock do for me? Other than sap away at my true potential, I can’t remember a time where the Earth gave us something to rejoice about.

Best to blow it all to ash and watch as something those once called ‘great’ and ‘fulfilling’ crumble like the dirt underneath my feet no?”

"No! Not at all- there's so many wonders and joys of this world, even I know that and I've never gotten to explore them! Do you really believe yourself to be above simple things that make people happy? Are you truly content with living such a way?"

_Grabbing the other two emeralds she tucked away, she clutched them tightly to her chest once more- she was silent, taking a few breaths. Was... she just ignoring him now? Or-_

"Have you ever stopped and listened to the gentle noise the emeralds make? They speak so softly to me... they make a pretty sound."

_Taking a step towards him, she continued to speak,_

"Or the sounds of ocean waves crashing at the beach? The sand underneath your feet? Collecting tiny shells because they're pretty?"

_She continued taking steps towards him, eventually stopping in front of Nazo._

"All sorts of food people have learned to make over their thousands of years of living- the things they've learned to build and create. The millions of life forms that exist? Have you ever even held an animal like a cat or a bird?"

_She placed the emeralds into Nazo's hands, her paws gently resting on the top._

"You may not have been born from positive energy, but you can learn to wash away the negativity. Washing away the bad things... they are not easy, I've been there myself- but nothing is written in stone, Nazo."

_Lucille smiled once more,_

"I've learned that today."

_Gingerly, she pushed the emeralds to them,_

"Listen to them, they gently hum, did you know?"

_Nazo was.. most definitely taken aback now._

_Her outburst twiddled down to something so kind.. so genuine._

_That’s new.. very new.. he didn’t know how to take it._

_Was it some sort of underlying threat..?_

_The crash of the waves.. the taste of the food.. the history of the world.. what does it all mean to him? Why would it have meaning?_

_He listened, and was shocked when Lucille gently placed the emeralds into his arms._

_She was close to him. She approached him despite what he is.. what he could easily do to turn her into nothing but ash.._

_She even placed the jewels that could turn him into something god-like into his own arms, pleading for him to just take a moment to listen.._

_That’s new._

_Nazo stared at Lucille with a blank expression, silent for a moment._

_Finally, he pulled in a sigh, staring down at the emeralds in his grasp._

_He closed his eyes, in attempts to hear the hums._

_He didn’t hear it. Not a single chord struck his eardrum._

_‘They gently hum, did you know?’_

_No. He didn’t know. He didn’t hear them. But the words from Lucille’s mouth seemed so full of honesty, so sweet and genuine.._

_He doesn’t hear it, but she does._

_She, someone who's been slammed against the concrete over and over by this world was able to find some sort of positive outlook. Some sort of joy._

_Who is he? Why was he finally awoken from the emeralds?_

_His mind began to fuzz with questions- questions that Lucille had already asked him._

_What’s it like to feel the ocean breeze? What’s the taste of a recipe passed down from generation to generation?_

_What’s it like to feel something other than negativity? Hatred? Regret?_

_He felt defeated. Defeated in his own mind._

_This is a different defeat than he experienced with Shadow and Sonic._

_He’s silent for a minute, staring at the emeralds in awkward silence._

_Finally, he dares to look at Lucille in the eyes._

“Three days,” he began. “Three days to show me some of these so-called ‘wonders’ of the world. If you can’t give me a single thing that even remotely sparks some sort of joy in me, this earth is going to shatter by my hands and by my hands alone. Do we have a deal?”

_3 days huh? Well, at least he was generous enough to give her that much time. There were plenty of things to do in 72 hours, of course, they couldn't explore everything- but surely they'd find something he enjoyed in that time!_

"I think we'll find something that suits your fancy, I've found a lot of things using the Doctor's computer!'

_Letting out a quiet yawn, and took a few steps away, curling up on the cave's floor._

"Buuut that timer's countdown has gotta start tomorrow- I'm beat. If you feel like resting, just give me a tap and I'll keep an eye out, okay?"

_Using her tail as a blanket, she snuggled into herself, at least it provided a bit of warmth._

_Huh... something about talking down a bad guy from destroying the planet filled her with... pride? Happiness? It was a warm feeling. Of course, she hasn't necessarily saved the world- just postponing it... hopefully forever! Or, until she's too old to stop it. She was sure Nazo had to like something, or she'd die trying! Literally._

_Now all she had to do was pray Sonic, Shadow, or the Doctor didn't find them during this time. If any of them tried to fight Nazo, it would surely end in nothing short of chaos. The last thing she needed was fucking this up and getting everyone killed- she might not forgive herself if she did... well, if she lived to feel regret. Would she feel regret in the afterlife?... Questions for later._

_Nazo seemed so determined in his goals and mindset- she really hoped she could get through to him at least a little bit. She knew he didn't hear the hums of the emeralds- perhaps he was unable to pick up on them. She didn't either at first- but they seemed to start resonating with her after some time. Maybe they would be with him as well- maybe he just had to learn._

_No need to overthink right now, she needed to sleep and get her energy for tomorrow. Lucille had a few big days ahead of her. Hopefully this would all go smoothly. She believed in Nazo, he could change. She knew._


	5. Interlude

_Staring at the damages before him.._

_Eggman was.. needless to say, outraged._

_All his precious, well crafted security, any current projects that were held in the rooms Nazo obliterated were just as good as scrap metal,_

_And most of all, the six chaos emeralds he worked unbelievably hard to gather were all gone. Nowhere to be seen. And if he had to guess? Nazo took them._

_Grumbling with a clenched fist, Eggman hopped out of the Eggwalker, practically stomping toward the room where his cameras last showed Nazo._

_Of course, the only film it had before it was reduced to Junk was an image of Nazo flashing a shit eating grin to the device before it was deemed no more._

_Surely enough, the room was just as destroyed with nothing in sight._

_Wait- Lucille was here._

_She called him here after all! Maybe she knows where Nazo’s next location will be!_

_Hurrying down the hall toward his main room where he can overlook all the cameras, he flipped back and forth until-_

_Ah-_

_The bracelet Lucille had used to contact Eggman was in shambles on the ground outside the room that held the emeralds._

_So it seems Lucille also managed to escape alongside Nazo.._

_Rage. Everything he worked for was gone-_

_From his studies of Lucille to the Emeralds and now Nazo; all thanks to the damn hedgehog himself._

_He really seems to have such bad luck with the damn animals.._

_However, as he flipped through the cameras, he watched as Lucille’s final moments on film were her running toward one of the storage closets._

_There’s no way she’s left there! He would have seen it on camera!_

_Eureka!_

_Calling in Metal Sonic, he’d have his most trustworthy bot yet to go scout out the area._

_He’s sure to find her and bring her back._

  


_Yet.._

_After some time passed, Metal Sonic hovered back in with a heavy shake of his head and a ‘beep boop’ of no sign of life inside the closet._

_So she managed to escape.. if he had to guess, it had to do with the Chaos Emeralds messing with the signals.._

_Once again, rage filled his veins as he realized everything he has currently been working on was actually gone with not a single ounce of hope._

_All for nothing.._

_His most brilliant plans yet- reduced to scrap._

_There’s one final thing however.._

_Eggman placed a tracking chip in Lucille some time ago, in case something like this happened._

_With an evil grin across his lips, he began to tap away at the holographic keyboard, bringing up the whereabouts of the tracking device..._


	6. IV

_Eyelids flickering at the first streaming lights of dawn and the songbirds of the morning, Nazo groaned as he pushed his body off the hard, damp dirt._

_The morning dew had set in, making Nazo a tad muddy._

_Sighing, Nazo stood to his feet and brushed off any dirt and mud that clung to his fur._

_Dawn of the first day._

_Lucille has exactly 72 hours now to show something to Nazo that proved this world has worth._

_He wonders what the day will be filled with.._

_His drowsy gaze turned toward the red panda, and back toward the mouth of the cave, watching the sun filter through the leaves of the jungle._

_Oh what will this end up as?_

"Morning sleepyhead, guess we're both early risers, huh?"

_Lucille turned her head, smiling at Nazo. Truthfully, she had woken up about an hour ago, but didn't want to wake Nazo up- instead, she settled for drawing little figures on the cave floor. Most of the drawings consisted of small animals, but there were a few that looked... familiar. If asked, she wouldn't say who she was exactly doodling. All just for practice!_

"I've got a few ideas of places to show you, but the first one is a theme park! Not many people are up at this time- and the ones that are will be at work, so there won't be many people there. Let me know when you're done dozin' and we'll head off!"

_Standing up, she dusted off her skirt, stretching out her arms above her head. Seeing the morning sky woke her up more than anything- to others, it wasn't anything special, but to someone who hardly got to see the sky? It was its own wonder to her._

_Lucille itched at her neck for a second- something about it was bugging her... probably because she slept on the literal ground, it'll feel better later on._

_Nazo was almost surprised to see Lucille so awake and full of energy. After rushing away from such an exciting event such as yesterday’s escape, He was almost positive she’d be down for sleeping in.._

_Ah- but she is running on a limited time schedule._

_That certainly would be something to get her up and running. Or.. maybe she was genuinely excited to show Nazo the ropes of the world..?_

_Whatever, Nazo nodded in her direction, letting her know that he acknowledged her plan for the day. Theme park.. plus early morning hours so no one would hound on the duo too much.._

_Alright. He could handle this._

_His eyes flickered from watching Lucille scratch on her neck to the 6 emeralds beside the duo._

_Pulling himself up to his feet, Nazo took one good look around the area of the cave._

_It seems to be a pretty hidden area.._

_Nazo turned his attention back to the emeralds, then finally to Lucille._

_Guess he’d need a second opinion on this question he’s mulling over.._

“Alright. We’ll head to the theme park soon enough, but what about the emeralds? Do you think if we cover them up with some dirt and leaves, whatever we can find around here, they’ll be fine?”

_Cmon Nazo.. you’re kinda being a stick in the mud for worrying about the emeralds being found than the day Lucille has planned for the duo.._

_Tapping her chin, she thought for a moment. Yeah- the emeralds would definitely need to be hidden while they were gone. No doubt, the Doctor would be looking for the emeralds, and them of course. Let's see here... Lucille went over to the back of the cave, digging a good hole and gently placing the emeralds inside- all but one, the cyan one. Covering the hole up with dirt, she patted it down; there! Now it looked like nothing was ever buried._

"I think we should keep at least one on us- that way if the Doctor somehow found the cave, he wouldn't have all of them."

_Wiping her hands off, she placed the emerald into his hand, smiling._

"I think you should hold onto it- you'd be much better at protecting it than I could. Let's just hope it doesn't mess with the rides or anything while we're there! I think I've had enough chaos for the week."

_Lucille stepped outside of the cave, taking a good look at the jungle they were in. The gentle, rushing river filled her ears with a pleasant white noise. They weren't too far from the station, if they just navigated through the trees, they'd eventually be on their way!_

"Hm... I think I can see part of the tracks over the horizon- so the station isn't too far from here. If we hurry, we'll get there when it arrives!"

_Nodding, Nazo proceeded to kick a few more pieces of dirt and greenery over the buried emeralds._

“Good idea on burying them.

Also on keeping at least one with us at all times.”

_Nazo then crawled his way out of the cave to follow Lucille, hearing his bones pop the morning aches out of them while he stretched._

_He straightened himself out, standing beside Lucille, listening to her go on about their next destination._

_Sure enough, he too spotted the railroad tracks a ways off._

_Guess they were much closer to society than he thought.._

_Ah well. The emeralds are safe here._

“So then, let's get going. It surely can’t be too difficult to get to the station..”

_Nazo began his trek, as if he knew exactly where he was going. Of course he hadn’t a clue where his feet would take him.._

“Any idea where this ‘theme park’ is? I don’t see anything too amusing here in this jungle..”

_’Other than the obvious.’ Nazo thought to himself as he turned his head upward, attempting to find the floating island above them.._

"Hm, judging by the cave... and by the railroad tracks..."

_She crossed her arms, idly following behind him. North, East, South, West... from this angle, the train goes... east. Meaning that the train had to be outside this jungle, they just had to keep going straight!_

"If we keep going straight, we'll be at the station no problem! C'mon slowpoke!"

_Grabbing him by his wrist, she jogged through the jungle, avoiding any rocks or things they could trip over. Well, it seems like she was right! After emerging from the bushes, the station was standing there proudly, and the train just arrived, too! Letting go of Nazo's wrist, she pointed,_

"See, what did I tell ya? Let's get on before it leaves us behind."

_Lucille ran up the stairs, practically jumping into the train and finding herself a seat. She ignored the looks of the very few passengers that were on there- she figured people would get used to hedgehogs and whatnot, but it didn't seem like that just yet. Didn't matter to her- she didn't just escape the hands of her tormentor just to feel insecure from some humans._

"I wonder how fast a train travels- it must be pretty fast, right? I've never been on one of these things before, but I've heard of them!"

_Somehow, she viewed the mundane things about the world as if they were one of the 7 wonders. Whether she just viewed the world in rainbow glasses or if she really was impressed by such things, the twinkle in her eyes never seemed to dull. In fact, she turned around in her seat, sitting on her knees as she pressed her paws against the window. As the train took off, she watched the sea pass by- making a quiet gasp._

"Pretty.."

”Alright then let's get a mo—!”

_Nazo’s words were cut off the minute Lucille grabbed his wrist and took off running._

_Surely wasn’t expecting that from his red panda companion._

_His steps followed behind hers in a wild fashion, thankful Lucille kept a careful eye over the terrain she led them across; otherwise with the way she’s practically dragging him, he probably would have toppled over her right about now._

_As Lucille crashed the duo through the shrubbery, Nazo gave a few quick blinks to adjust his eyes from the shady canopy of the trees, to the now open area with plenty more sunlight._

_This place was most certainly more busy than the rest of the jungle.._

_From the body of water with a rushing waterfall, safari tours, the train station announcing the arrival, and.._

_A workshop?_

_Certainly not what he expected but-_

_Oh- and there they go once more with a beaming Lucille pulling Nazo up the flight of stairs and dragging him into a seat of the train._

_Nazo noticed the gawking gases of the human passengers, giving them a scowl in return to try to intimidate them to turn away._

_What filthy creatures the humans.. another abomination on this good for nothing planet._

_While beginning to fall into the pits of his darker thoughts, Lucille’s voice snapped him out of his head, turning to face her while she rambled on about the speed of a train and whatnot._

“Not too educated on the matter of ‘trains’ myself, but judging from the way we’re moving, we’re at a pretty decent speed.”

_Nazo watched Lucille with slight interest as he watched her press her paws against the glass, eyes practically glowing with invigoration as she watched the world speed past her._

_He sadly didn’t quite get why Lucille was so fascinated with what was going on outside.. afterall, He’s sure to have seen such a view with better angles. He could fly at one point; now with the emeralds, he probably could once more, yet.._

_He’s chosen to be dragged along onto a 3 day deal with Lucille._

_He didn’t quite understand her excitement but.. he chose not to question it too much._

_Tend to forget the horrors and concealment Lucille had to endure with Eggman don’t you Nazo? Not everyone is blessed with your abilities._

_The train didn't take too long to arrive at the station, thankfully. Lucille was too excited to stay on the train much longer- as soon as the doors opened, she jumped outside and looked around the station. Okay okay- no time to twirl around and stare at the train station, you can do that in the literal theme park!_

_Nice, Twinkle Park was right across the road! She's never been inside, but even the elevator looked fun by itself. Tucking her arms behind her back, she walked along the sidewalk, staring at the water that lapped at the shore. Her reflection merely looked back at her, mirroring the face of the red panda. For once... her reflection was smiling- she was never happy when she faced a mirror; only cause she had to look at herself to patch herself up._

_But it wasn't like that now, now she didn't have to live like that anymore. All thanks to her new friend- friend? Nazo would be considered a friend, he surely wasn't her enemy. Craning her neck, she looked at Nazo behind her- she could only smile. He may not understand the same joys she did, but she'd do her best to extend her happiness to him._

"Look at this! It says cute couples get in free- uh,"

_She looked at Nazo,_

"A couple of what?"

_Lucille…_

_Nazo had almost nodded back into slumber, but the sound of the train announcing it’s stop followed by Lucille hopping out of her spot in the seat, woke him back up to 100% and was following after the red panda._

_Taking a good look around the square, he noticed fair amounts of bustling. From cars, people walking down the street, stores,_

_Seemed pretty lively.. if this was the way things are when it’s quiet he couldn’t even imagine what the actual rush hours were like._

_Tagging along behind Lucille, he almost bumped into her when she had stopped to stare at the shore, and he had been wandering mindlessly._

_Nazo opened his mouth to speak before his eyes met with Lucille’s, a kind, genuine smile across her lips._

_He didn’t.. exactly know how to respond.. was she even smiling at him?_

_He did a double take behind him, before shrugging it off._

_Kinda dense aren’t you Nazo?_

_Lucille’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts once more as she exclaimed what the monitor was reading._

“Cute couples? What’s that supposed to mean?

Is it ridiculing us for being a hedgehog and a red panda..?”

"Why would it be ridiculing us?"

_Looking back between Nazo and the screen, she rubbed her chin._

_"Well, guess we won't know unless we find out!"_

_Walking over to the elevator, she gasped when it opened automatically._

"Guess we qualify! Let's go!"

_Hopping inside the elevator, she eagerly pulled Nazo in. As they were lifted up, she stuck her arms out and ran down the tube that led to the park- giggling to herself. In all honesty- she had never felt so free before. Normally, she would've kept her childlike excitement to herself- but nobody was here to judge her for having fun! No Eggman to put her back in line, no Metal Sonic to report her to Eggman; just her and Nazo._

_Twirling around, she looked back at Nazo,_

"What do ya wanna try first? The race cars? Bumper cars? Roller coasters? Ooo oo! They have a house of mirrors I think! I wonder if they have those games where you can win prizes- I wanna win a plushie!"

_She was practically bouncing, even while standing still. Well, what will we try first today?_


	7. IX

_Nazo didn’t really have a chance to answer Lucille nor acknowledge the fact the elevator opened right up for them._

_One second he was being dragged along into the theme park, the next, Lucille was rambling and bouncing about the new area._

_It certainly was impressive.. never thought an entire park would be up this little elevator. His eyes wandered around, taking in the flashing lights, the smells of carnival food, the gleeful shouts of other guests;_

_All very, /very/ new to him._

_Turning back to Lucille, he didn’t quite know what each of the activities she was listing were so.._

“Uh.. roller coasters sound interesting. Afterwards we can try some of the other things you really wanna try.”

"Roller coaster it is! I think the main one here goes around the entire park, so let's try that one- it'll show us the entire park really fast!"

_With a grin, she skipped off to the roller coasters. There wasn't much of a line, so they got seated pretty quickly- two per row. Lucille was pretty sure they didn't meet the height requirement- but the man running the ride didn't seem to mind. Probably because Nazo scared the shit out of him, but she didn't have a clue in the world. As they were being strapped, she gently grabbed the metal bar in their laps._

"Please keep all arms and legs inside the cart during the ride at all times."

"Wonder why they got us kinda trapped in here- not like we're just gonna fly out of it."

_The ride started off slowly, guiding the passengers up the first hill- as it slowly climbed up. Lucille's stomach dropped. This... suddenly seemed like a bad idea! Glancing at Nazo, she smiled nervously,_

"Guess this thing goes up a lot higher than I-"

_She froze, staring as the ride paused at the top,_

"-thought... is it too late to get o- WAAH!"

_Before she could finish her sentence, the coaster suddenly shot down, beginning its fast paced course. The thing was built with loops and everything- poor Lucille was already terrified out of her mind- rather than scream with the other passengers, she kept a death grip on the bar and stayed silent._

_Roller coasters were Hell._

_As the rollercoaster climbed it’s way up the hill, Nazo shifted around In the seat, a tad uncomfortable with the belts and metal bars that were stuck on him.._

_He almost attempted to pry them off, until he too looked at the drop._

“Too late to get off..? I mean- unless—!”

_Ears and quills flying behind him, Nazo’s eyes widened significantly as the ride picked up speed and began to move toward the loops._

_It was.. kind of thrilling._

_It definitely reminded him of his intense battle with Sonic and Shadow._

_Definitely.. definitely a lot less dangerous than the fight was._

_Each loop, each drop, definitely made his heart bounce around in his chest._

_In fact, he felt comfortable enough to let go!_

_He seems to be somewhat enjoying himself!_

_As the ride sped on, he noticed the park’s many other rides, flashing lights, the colors almost beginning to intrigue him._

_Maybe this twinkle park idea wasn’t so bad.._

_Finally, the ride seemed to be coming to a stop._

_As large as it was, it seems it wasn’t so long.._

_Guess the speed kinda filled it in._

_Stepping off the ride with a hobble to catch his balance, Nazo turned toward Lucille, not even noticing his poor companion’s panic.._

“It wasn’t that bad. I guess it was kinda fun, are you okay? You seem a little out of it..”

_With shaking legs, Lucille made her way off the ride- she was definitely_ **_not_ ** _okay, but Nazo seemed to enjoy himself; she'll just avoid roller coasters for a good while!_

"I'm good- head's just dizzy from the loops, it was fun though!"

_Gazing at the other attractions, she pondered on where to go next. The race cars looked pretty fun- she knew how to drive somewhat, the Doctor made her drive a few times before. It couldn't be that bad! Turning back to Nazo, she smiled- thankfully, her stomach was beginning to feel better._

"Where do ya wanna go next? There's plenty of places to explore!"

_She wondered what intrigued Nazo- what kinds of things would he like? Definitely the more... thrilling rides- she'd have to brace herself next time they got on a rollercoaster._

_But... this was fun, they were having fun! This is what spending time with your friend was like, something she only could've dreamed of. Whatever the rest of the day had planned for, she was ready!_

"I think this place also has food, I heard that amusement parks will have snacks and stuff- we can always try some if we get hungry."

_Nazo didn’t quite understand why Lucille was so shaken up after getting off the rollercoaster.._

_He shrugged it off, taking a quick mental note to not suggest another coaster ride._

“It was entertaining.”

_The only comment he seemed to make for the roller coasters._

_As the duo made their way down the park, watching a few attractions and such as they continued, Nazo nodded his head toward Lucille as she spoke._

“Snacks later sounds like a good plan. Funny enough I’ve never tried any foodstuffs here on Earth..

I’ve often seen the doctor eat but I myself never took an interest.”

_As he spoke, he closed his eyes momentarily, taking a good whiff of the air._

_Sure, he hasn’t tried anything but.. man some of the sweet smells sure caught his nose._

_Looking at Lucille, he remembered she seemed to have been eyeing the karts earlier._

_Maybe she’d like to choose where they go this time.._

“Is there anything you’re looking interested in trying?”

_Well... that was probably gonna be the most positive comment she'd get out of him- that'll do. Grinning, she nodded along._

"I've seen different kinds of food when the doctor brought me along to places! The foods around here vary, it all depends on where you go- usually amusement park food is more snack like, it's not meant to fill ya up. That's why they got popcorn and funnel cakes, oh- and cotton candy!"

_Clasping her paws together, she continued,_

"Cotton candy dissolves in your mouth! I had some once when a kind vendor gave me a bag, it was the sweetest thing I've ever had!"

_Tapping her chin, she giggled,_

"Well, also the best thing I've ever had- anything is a step up from mashed veggies and the nasty stuff the doctor had."

_Poor thing would probably consider carnival food a high class type, it wasn't- but just let her believe._

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't wanna try the karts, I think the race cars would be fun! Let's go check 'em out!"

_And off she goes, her legs carrying her over to the race track. Hopping into the pink car, she was surprised at how they were floating off the ground. Seems like these ones weren't like the traditional racecars she saw long ago._

"Hm... hopefully I don't crash this one- I'm usually used to wheels."

_Let's see here- all she has to do is press her foot down on the pedal and-_

"WAHH!"

_She... she took off down the track speeding._

_As he listened to Lucille ramble about the carnival foods, he nodded along, eyeing a few of the booths here and there._

_Maybe they could go for snacks after their next attraction.._

_Nazo turned, opening his mouth to suggest the snack idea but alas, Lucille had already taken off toward the cars._

_Well- better go catch up!_

_Racing after his companion, it wasn’t much longer as he saw she was speeding down the track._

_The tracks were already running so if he wanted to get onto the ride he’d have to wait but.._

_Nazo really wasn’t one to be patient._

_Stepping passed the lazy supervisor, Nazo paused in front of an incoming track rider._

_They began to panic, shouting for him to get out of the way._

_Not two seconds later, that same person was left to the sides of the track while Nazo slammed his foot on the pedal, attempting to catch up to Lucille._

_While Nazo was... acquiring his car, Lucille was still speeding down the track, swerving around the corners and flying off the ramps- she slowly got used to it, but it was still confusing. Still, it would be easier if she wasn't speeding so much- how do you get this thing to slow down? .... The brakes, of course!_

_Unbeknownst to Lucille, Nazo wasn't too far behind her- but she had pushed her foot on the brake to make herself slow down. Annnnd she ended up doing a hard brake, causing her to go flying out the cart. The emerald started to glow once more, signaling Lucille's distress._

"WAITWAITWAITWA- Huh?"

_Lucille braced for impact, but... found herself floating? Uncovering her face, she looked at the ground, still in shock- she wasn't ever able to fly before, so why now? Wait- she's flying... she's flying! Shit, she doesn't know how to get down. Panicking, she found herself floating higher- and she's wearing a skirt. Quickly, her tail wrapped around herself, keeping her cover; Lucille was still panicked though._

"How do I stop? How do I get down?? Gah- there are more people coming!"

_Silly thing, you should calm down before you float off entirely._

_Not a few seconds after Nazo had raced off to catch up to Lucille, his ear caught her cries of distress._

_Looking up, he watched as Lucille was flung from her kart and into the air. What did surprise him was the fact that the emerald was emitting a much brighter glow than normal, along with Lucille’s body with basically Zero Gravity._

_It definitely caused him to press the breaks and hop onto the hood of his own kart, taking a leap toward her. Using the energy being emitted from the emerald, he managed to grab a bit of flight himself; enough to grab both Lucille and the emerald before descending down onto the tracks once more._

_Every other guest seemed to have stopped in their tracks, watching the scene unfold before them, so thankfully they didn’t have to worry about incoming traffic.._

“Hey, are you alright? You’re not hurt are you?”

_She had curled up once more, her paws pressing against her face as her eyes were tightly shut. Only when she felt herself be grabbed did she open them once more, looking up at Nazo. Golly, she felt really silly now..._

"I'm... I'm okay, I just didn't expect to, y'know, go flying like that.. heh."

_Lucille let herself chuckle a little, no need to worry anybody. Wiggling herself out of Nazo's arms, she flattened her skirt, running a nervous hand through her hair. She kept her eyes away from the crowd, feeling too nervous to meet their gaze. The red panda wondered if she made too big of a scene..._

"S..sorry... about that."

_Her apology was nothing more than a hushed whisper, she was sure that nobody heard it. Tapping her fingers together, her tail curled up more. She had forgotten that staying with the doctor for so long had rendered her socially inept- these types of situations only stressed her out..._

_But there's no time to be stressed, she can't let this get in the way of a fun adventure. Just a little mishap, that's all!_

"Yeah... Yeah! No need to stop and stare, don't wanna lose do ya!?"

_Jumping back into her car, she waited for Nazo to get back into his._

"Bet I'll get first place!"

_Slamming her foot down onto the gas once more, she shot forward, resuming the race. Alright, she had this! This time, she had the controls down. Brakes were sensitive, no need to slam on them. Now she could race properly without worrying about flying anywhere again._

_Nazo’s eyes furrowed in.. concern? Is that the word he’s looking for?_

_Ah-_

_Shaking his head, he turned to look at the crowd from those waiting in line, passerby’s, and kart drivers- all staring at the duo._

_Nazo attempted to shoo the staring gazes away from the two by giving them all a glare of his own._

_Turning back to Lucille, it seemed that she was speaking in hushed mumbles._

_Nazo’s ear flicked, trying to process what she had said._

“What was that? I didn’t quite catch-“

_However, before Nazo could finish his sentence, Lucille was already taking off toward her abandoned kart, settling in and getting straight back into racing._

_Guess he’s sorta relieved to see her mood took a 360 for the better._

_Wait-_

_She’ll be first place? That sounds like a challenge._

_Nazo raced toward his own lonesome kart resting in the middle of the track, hopping in the seat and grabbing hold of the steering wheel once more._

_Seemed he forgot to give Lucille back the emerald.._

_He’ll worry about that later,_

_Right now his goal is to catch up to Lucille and make it past the final lap’s finish line before she does._

_This was almost thrilling.._

_Slamming down his gas pedal, he began to take off toward Lucille’s own speeding kart._

_Lucille was glad to see that all was well, the race would continue and the day would go on. The final lap wouldn't last much longer, a few more curves and a couple of ramps and they'd be at the finish line in no time. Only thing she was worried about now?_

_Nazo was beginning to catch up._

_Not like she could make the car go any faster, all she could do was keep her foot pressed on the pedal and hope her skills were good enough to keep her from sliding off the track._

_At least the Emerald wasn't messing with the cars or anything, would be chaotic if the cars got super gassed up or just kinda... stopped functioning- but everything seemed under control._

_Glancing to the side, she blinked once, twice- Nazo caught up already? Well... everyone else was probably still trying to process what went on, so that made sense. Hm, that just won't do! Grinning, she focused back on driving. One of them would win, and she would do her best to be in first place!_

_Listening to the music playing throughout the track, she couldn't help but gently swerve her kart back and forth, going with the beat. Not enough to bump into anybody, but you could tell she was having fun. It was much easier since the kart didn't have wheels, but that also meant she could easily start spinning in circles, too._

_With the finish line approaching, she steadied the kart- it was almost too suspenseful for her. Unable to handle the excitement, she closed her eyes and crossed the finish line blind, unsure of who got through it first._

_Pressing as much pressure as he could onto the pedal, Nazo was grinding his teeth together in anticipation; excitement._

_He was in this, deep into this._

_With his upper body leaning forward, and a vice grip on the steering wheel, he was neck to neck with Lucille in the race between the duo._

_This was.. exhilarating._

_Fun. It almost reminded him of the time he was soaring through the airs above Angel Island, exchanging blows with both Sonic and Shadow._

_Except this time required no punching or fighting. Just a speedy race between fresh out of captivity companions._

_Crouching his body as if it would speed him up, his eyes seemed to lock onto the finish line._

_However.._

_Right before he could cross, it seemed Lucille’s kart was just a few inches ahead, and sure enough, she came out the winner._

_It was a defeat; but this defeat.. didn’t seem humiliating to him._

_Stepping out of his stolen kart, he was letting out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding in this entire time, turning to his.. friend?_

_Is that what she called it?_

_And extended a fist out to her._

_He’s sure he’s seen this before, right? A fist bump? Is that what they called it?_

“That.. was honestly pretty good. Good run. Although if we do try this again, maybe we can try to cut out the flying..

Unless you’re down for a neck to neck flight competition?”

_His tone of voice seemed.. to change from this morning._

_Maybe he’s beginning to open up a bit to Lucille..?_


	8. VIII

_Opening her eyes, she blinked a couple of times before realizing she won-_

_She... she won. She won!_

_Gasping she stopped the kart, jumping out of it and clapping her hands together, bouncing up and down- she had won! It was her first fun kart race and she had won first place!! After doing her little victory dance, she looked at Nazo, then at his fist- Lucille knew this gesture, although only from observing interactions between Sonic and his friends._

_Between friends.._

_Grinning, she bumped his fist, her heart swelled with joy._

"I think that would be fun- maybe we can do a flight competition when I learn how to fly properly. Then we'll see who wins!"

_Her ear flicked, Nazo had sounded... different, different from before. He seemed to be enjoying himself- and she was too. Honestly, she had forgotten about the whole 3 days thing, about the world being destroyed- all she was focused on was having a fun day with her friend. No worries about the Doctor, the Earth, her safety- everything was good, everything was right._

"Well, are ya hungry yet? You should totally try the cotton candy!"

_Something about her neck was bothering her again, however..._

_Lucille began to scratch at her neck a little more, she could've sworn she heard some type of beeping noise... it was probably just her imagination- maybe the adrenaline was just messing with her ears. Still, she wished her neck didn't feel so... scratchy._

_Giving a quick nod of approval toward Lucille’s direction, Nazo lowered his fist after she tapped hers against it._

_Humiliation seriously isn’t something he felt with this defeat._

_Seeing Lucille so energetic after escaping Eggman, blowing up in the cave, and after the scary situation just a moment ago with the emerald,_

_Nazo almost feels like he’s the one who won in this situation seeing her reaction.._

_He shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts when Lucille’s voice hit his eardrum._

_Turning to face her, he gave her another nod, taking a few steps toward the exit._

“Yeah sure, something to eat.

Some of the things I’ve smelled seem interesting..

Cotton candy?”

_As he began toward their next destination, he stopped, turning to Lucille once more as he noticed she seemed to be scratching at her neck again.._

“You alright? Something bothering you?”

"Well, we can try them all! And yeah, cotton candy has got to be one of my favorite foods, it's really sweet and it melts in your mouth! I've seen people make 'em reallllly big and poofy and it's like a cloud!"

_Itching her neck a little more, she waved it off, smiling._

"It's nothin', just my neck. It's gettin' kinda itchy, I guess? But I just think it's my nerves or something."

_Stretching her arms above her head, she let out a long sigh- maybe a bug bit her in her sleep, who knows? Well, if it gets any worse, she'll worry about it later, not like she's got a tracker in her neck or anything! Looking over to the food stalls, the scent wafted to her nose, causing her mouth to water._

"Ooo~ what should we try first? I've heard that you shouldn't start with sweet stuff cause it makes the other foods taste weird, so we should start with something else!"

_Lucille may have said cotton candy was her favorite food, but she was about to say every food there was her favorite; that's what happens when you only eat mashed veggies for years._

_Pondering on Lucille’s itch for a moment with lips pressed into a thin line, Nazo finally let out a sigh, nodding as he accepted that Lucille may be a tad nervous. Afterall, they did just get off the wild ride that was the karts._

“If you say so..”

_And with that, the subject was brushed off his shoulders._

_Making their way toward the food stalls, Nazo looked at each booth to see what they had to offer.._

_Large, cloud-like sweets..? He definitely will give that a shot._

_But considering Lucille’s warning about sweets before actual foods, he supposes he can wait a tad longer to try the sweet._

“Other foods.. other foods.. I haven’t been on this earth long enough to know what’s better than the other. Any suggestions you have?”

"Um, hm... I don't know much about the foods here, but I think they've got these things called soft pretzels! They smell really good, and so do the fries and popcorn! We could try one of those first."

_Looking over at the stalls serving the hot foods, she skipped on over- only for her to realize that the counter was... too tall for her to be fully seen. Instead, her head just_ **_barely_ ** _peaked over the counter head, making the worker ignore her. Well, not his fault, she's just vertically built differently._

_Tapping the counter, she tried to pull herself up but now her legs were dangling off the ground. Finally, the worker noticed her._

"Can I help you? Probably uncomfortable for you to be dangling off the counter like that."

_With a nervous smile, she set herself back down, looking up at the human._

"Hi! Can we get a couple of those soft pretzels?"

_Turning to look at Nazo, she spoke,_

"Is there something else you want?"

_Nodding his head while taking a look at what each booth had to offer, Nazo stopped to stand by Lucille while she attempted to grab the attention of the food vendor._

_Watching her struggle, he opened his mouth after watching her for a minute only to hear that the human behind the counter finally noticed the red panda._

_Soft pretzels.. never heard of anything quite like those. Although the smells wafting from the stand have quite the mouth watering scents.._

_Shaking his head to snap himself out of his thoughts, he turned his gaze toward the taller of the two, attempting to maybe cut prices or get the foods for free by glaring them down.._

_You may not look so intimidating to a regular civilian Nazo…_

"Alright, two pretzels and... is your friend okay there?"

_The worker looked at Nazo, confused as to why he was looking so... angrily at them. Rather than being scared by the glare, they were worried they'd have to deal with some pissed off customer giving them shit. Noticing the glare he was giving the vendor, Lucille nervously smiled back at them, pulling the rings out of her pocket._

"Just two will do, thank you."

_Placing the exact amount on the counter, she waited for the pretzels to be handed to them. In the meantime, Lucille gently nudged Nazo with her elbow,_

"You don't have to look so mean and scary, y'know?"

_Before they knew it, two soft pretzels were being handed to them- Lucille carefully grabbed her's, surprised by how warm it was. Must be fresh, it also explains why it smelled so good to her. With a smile, she thanked the vendor and continued to walk by the stalls, looking at all the different menus._

"No kidding, these things are soft, and they taste so nice! Hm... I can't tell if I like this more than the cotton candy... what do you think, Nazo?"

_Still staring daggers at the vendor despite the skewed face of confusion they were making toward Nazo, he watched the exchange of rings for pretzels while the human asked about the glares._

_Of course he’s okay? The vendor is about to be the one who is in need of help.. but before Nazo could even say something, much less lift a finger, Lucille’s elbow caught his attention._

_Turning to her, he gave her a puzzled looked, much like the one the vendor was giving him seconds ago._

“Hm? I’m only trying to avoid any issues with these disgusting humans is all.”

_Before he could say much more, he was handed the baked good with Lucille making her way elsewhere._

_Giving one last glare to the vendor, Nazo began to quicken his pace to catch up with Lucille._

_The pretzel sure did smell good.. and it was soft.._

_Examining Lucille take a bite out of it, he nodded to himself._

_Squishing it a bit in between his fingers._

_Odd texture.._

_Leaning forward, Nazo opened his mouth wide, attempting to copy Lucille after watching her take a bite._

_Teeth sinking into the substance, Nazo’s tastebuds seemed to swell with contentment._

_The savory, perfectly matched balance of salty and buttery practically melted in his mouth._

_Wow. Maybe human food was pretty good.._

_After chewing his first bite, he swallowed down the pretzel, looking at Lucille with a content expression, nodding_

“It’s pretty good..”

"Yeah, I think so too- and to think they've got millions of different foods that we haven't even heard of! I wish I could try them all, but I wouldn't even know where to start."

_It didn't take long for her to finish the pretzel, she was pretty hungry after all. Throwing the wrapper away in a trash can, she looked around for the other stalls. What to try next? Lucille looked back at Nazo._

"Are there any foods that strike your fancy? I like salty and sweet foods, like pretzels and chocolate! There's many different flavors, I've always wanted to try umami, it's kinda like an...unknown flavor?"

_While she hadn't eaten much food, she's heard bits and pieces from the times she was brought into towns or was on the internet- Lucille wanted to try as many things as possible, that was one of her biggest goals. Even if she had to drag Nazo around with her, she'll be damned if she misses out on everything life has to offer._

_But, then she kinda realized that she took up a lot of the conversation by speaking so much- scratching the back of her head, she chuckled quietly,_

"I, uh- talk a lot, sorry about that. Guess I'm just really excited."

_She wasn't sure if Nazo just wasn't much of a talker or if she was talking too much- she was used to speaking very little, though Lucille always had a lot of things on her mind. Most conversations went on in her head, for her safety of course._

_She wondered if that was for the best._

_Taking slow bites of his pretzel, he kept his eyes on Lucille, nodding along to her seemingly one sided conversation._

_Not that he wouldn’t answer her- it’s just he has a mouthful of pretzel._

_Swallowing down yet another mouthful, he let out a sigh, looking around at the other food stalls._

_What would he like to do next..? What would he like to try..?_

“Umami? What’s that? Wanna try to find that flavor or food or whatever you suggested.

And please, don’t worry about it. You’re making up more conversation than I ever could. So it’s not a bad thing.

Do you think we should head back soon..? It’s kinda getting dark..”

"Umami is described as a sorta savory flavor? But not entirely savory, it's kinda hard to explain- some people say it's indescribable. You find it in stuff like broths, so I don't know if we'll find it here."

_Looking at the sky, she blinked- the day seemed to pass by so quick, she was surprised to see how the sun was setting. Time sure flies by when you're having fun, it seemed. Stretching her arms above her head, a yawn escaped from her mouth._

"Guess I lost track of the time- I don't think I've ever had this much fun before! Heading back might be a good idea, who knows how hard the cave will be to find in the dark."

_The fact that the Doctor has yet to show up was... surprising. She figured that he would've already tracked them down by now, he usually had his ways. It made her anxious- was he planning something? They should be fine, Nazo was strong- and they had 6 of the chaos emeralds, things would be fine._


	9. VII

_Upon hearing that Umami won’t be found here in this park, Nazo nodded to himself, deciding that it’s probably something they’ll save for another day then. It sounds mouth watering already.._

_Taking one final glance at the sky, he nodded once more before turning toward the walkway they entered._

“Well. I can see a little bit of why people enjoy the earth. But nonetheless, I also saw reasons just as well on why it needs to be ridden of..

But I can’t say today was bad. It was fun, and honestly, I’m a tad intrigued on what you have planned tomorrow.”

_He was speaking to what seemed himself as he made his way toward the exit. No eye contact, anything._

“But yes, let’s get back to the cave. I’ve got a question before we head back though..”

He stopped in his tracks, turning to face Lucille.

“Do you want to try to find another place to stay instead of a cave? Maybe the humans have some sort of overnight house or something?”

"Well, I'm glad you had fun, that's great! Hopefully we'll have even more fun tomorrow!"

_Skipping behind him, she had a bright smile on her face. Lucille didn't expect Nazo to have a perfectly fun time, but he still enjoyed himself! Anybody can find positives and negatives in any situation, she couldn't blame him for it really._

"Overnight houses? I think they have something like that in Station Square, it's in the hotel I'm pretty sure! They make you pay a certain amount of money every night, but it would be better to keep the emeralds in there rather than in a cave."

_Tapping her finger against her chin, she had to think- she was unsure if she could afford it. The few rings she had were collected over a long period of time, it was hard to hide them from the Doctor, but she managed to do it._

"I've been with the Doctor in the hotel before, but he kinda just... walked in, I dunno if he paid for a room. We could always ask the person at the front of the desk!"

_Watching the remnants of the flashing lights, Nazo listened to what information Lucille had to give._

“So he just walked in? Alright. An overnight place it is then. These rooms must have more security than the outdoors if you think the emeralds will be safer there..”

_Stepping into the elevator, Nazo stepped aside, allowing Lucille to come in._

_While the elevator began to descend, Nazo tapped his foot, hearing the sounds of laughter and screams of joy from the park mute out._

_Today.. was pretty fun._

“Hey, Lucille?”

_The silence was shattered, Nazo turning to face Lucille with a blank face; not an ounce of readable emotion on his sleeve._

_Very well at hiding what’s running through his mind._

“I guess I wanted to thank you for taking me out here today. 48 hours remain.

I definitely still don’t see a reason for this earth.. but. I guess we can say there’s hope that you can change my mind now.

Let’s face the next day early. That way we have more time to do more activities.”

"Yep! Unlike the outdoors, we can lock the room doors to prevent people from coming in. Plus we'll have somewhere comfortable to sleep!"

_Lucille finally felt the adrenaline rush fade away, leaving her in a tired state. Letting out a quiet yawn, she recalled the day's events fondly in her mind. That... was the most fun she's had, she had never been allowed to go somewhere out of the Doctor's sights- freedom truly was something wonderful._

_Upon hearing Nazo's voice, her ear flicked,_

"What's up?"

_Nazo was always keeping the same expression, always blank, unreadable. Lucille wondered what went on in his mind, what kinds of things did he think about? No doubt the thought of destroying the Earth resided in the back of his mind, she could only hope to ease that urge._

"No need to thank me, we're here to have fun! We've still got plenty of things to do up ahead, so I'm not all that worried."

_Yawning once more, she smiled sleepily,_

"Early sounds good, we'll get the emeralds and rest in the hotel. I heard beds are pretty soft, it's much better than sleeping on the ground."

_Giving a grunt of approval, Nazo’s eyes watched the elevator door slide open to reveal the sunset’s rays casting over the Streets of Twinkle Park, eyes catching how the light sparkled in the glasses of the windows._

_Pulling Lucille out of the elevator, Nazo made their way toward the train station not too far ahead, his attention seeming to loom toward the ocean, the sunset’s fiery colors mixing with the rising twilight across the canvas of the ocean._

_Becoming lost in the view, Nazo’s footsteps came to a halt, staring as the waves lapped against the sandy shores._

“Whoa.”

_His voice seemed to be caught in his throat, only a mere whisper coming out as he tugged lightly at Lucille’s arm, pointing toward the ocean._

“Take a look at this.”

_Lucille simply allowed herself to be tugged along by Nazo, it was nice to just do... normal things, honestly. Walking through the city, watching the sun set, remembering their day at the amusement park. This is what it meant to be live- to others, it was mundane and everyday tasks, but it was everything to Lucille._

_She almost ran into him when he suddenly stopped- come to think of it, she kinda did that earlier._

"What is it?"

_Feeling her arm be tugged, her eyes followed to where Nazo was looking, widening ever so slightly._

_The rays of the sun reflecting off of the crystal clear waters of the ocean was... it was beautiful. The sky was painted a pinkish hue, the sun was setting over the horizon._

"It's beautiful.."

_Seeing the sunset for the first time filled her with some sort of feeling, she couldn't describe it other than a swelling in her chest, tears filling the brim of her eyes. Without realizing it, a couple of tears slipped down her cheeks._

_Completely mesmerized by the hues dancing before him, Nazo took a few steps forward, allowing himself down the marble stairs that connected to their lonesome pier jutting out of the sandy shores._

_He felt.._

_At peace one could say._

_He turned to Lucille, ready to ask about these newfound feelings when his eyes caught sight of the tears rolling off her face. His chest seemed to twist in an unfamiliar way at the sight; it wasn’t a pleasant feeling._

_Letting a moment pass, Nazo finally reached his palm out, lightly brushing aside some of falling tears with a twisted, pressed look of concern on his face._

_Another awkward moment went by, where he didn’t say anything, just stared at her._

_Finally, he opened his mouth._

“Hey there- is uhm. Everything, alright? Are you hurting or something..?”

_It wasn’t that Nazo /didn’t/ care to ask, it was simply he /was/ caring about someone else’s painful emotions for the first time. Ironic, how a hedgehog fueled by the negative energy and intentions of the emeralds, stops and thinks about his next words in attempts to comfort one whose in the midst of a struggle._

“Did I, ah, say something? Was there something that happened at the park or?”

_Lucille was too entranced by the beauty of the sunset to notice Nazo’s hand coming close- it wasn’t until he gently brushed away her tears, did she realize. In an instant, she flinched away from his touch, fear coursing through her system._

_He isn’t going to hurt you. You’re going to be okay._

_As her breathing returned to normal, she began to think._

_That...was the most gentle touch she had ever received. Nobody had ever shown her such kindness like that._

_Ah, now her eyes were starting to water again._

“Hurt? No, it’s quite the opposite, really. I’ve just... seeing something so beautiful and feeling so happy- I can’t help but cry.”

_A soft smile returned to her features._

“But... this is the first time I’ve ever cried out of happiness. It’s refreshing.”

_A nervous giggle slipped from her lips as she scratched the back of her head._

“I’m sorry if I worried you, but I promise I couldn’t be happier at this moment.”

_Nazo didn’t.. quite grasp how much the scenery, the day, and even a gentle touch meant to her. Yet, he decided to simply just nod, brushing off a few more tears before letting his hand fall back to his side, turning his head toward the sunset once more._

_It was practically dark out by now, the last bit of twilight stretching its limbs over the horizon before being drowned by the inky waves of the now black ocean._

_Nazo pondered over Lucille’s words to him.._

_happiness? People cry out of elated joy?_

_Pressing his lips into a firm line, he gave a nod to himself, pinning it to his mind._

_He wasn’t too sure of any of Lucille’s emotions, but he supposes it’s not entirely bad to see the red panda so happy.._

“I see. Nice to hear you’re pretty happy then.

Anyways, we uh. We shouldn’t linger here anymore, we gotta get the emeralds and find a..

What’s it called again? Hoo-tel?”

_With a snicker, she covered her mouth with her paw, shoulders slightly shaking as she laughed._

"You mean a hotel?"

_Somehow- someone who was born from the chaos emeralds, sources of near infinite energy, couldn't figure out how to pronounce the word hotel. It made him seem a lot more... human- well, as a normal person. Rather than being some terrifying creature._

"You're right, let's go back and get the emeralds and check into the hotel. Then we can figure out what to do tomorrow!"

_There was something that she wanted to try- she heard it once, something called a Chao Garden. Lucille had never seen a Chao before, but they sounded like cute creatures. The gardens were apparently not easy to find, but she had her ways of finding it. If there was anything she had to do before the world ended, it was see a Chao._

_Ah, but she hoped Nazo would agree to come along- he seemed like the type to be unmoved by such seemingly cute things. But... who knows?_

”Hotel.. hotel, how-tel.. hootal..? Hotel..” 

_As he made his way off the pier and toward the nightlife streets of Station Square, Nazo mumbled to himself on how to correctly pronounce Hotel._

_While doing so, his eyes furrowed in confusion, staring at the ground in thought._

_After crossing the street, Nazo made his way up the large flight of stairs to catch one of the first trains that will run for the night, making sure Lucille wasn’t far behind._

_Stepping into the door, Nazo watched the already lit room illuminate more as the train heading toward the mystic ruins came to a halt._

_Turning to Lucille behind him, he outstretched his hand, nodding his head toward the open doors of the train._

“Ready to go?”

_A soft smile stayed on her face, quietly giggling to herself every time she heard Nazo attempt (and fail) at pronouncing hotel. It kept crossing her mind all day today, but she couldn't help but feel happy- this felt like two friends just... hanging out, enjoying life and getting to know about the little things in the world. It was normal, even boring to most people, but not to her._

_Station Square looked so much different at night- the city lights came on and kept everything illuminated, for the most part. Yet... it's vibes were different than during the day time. Somehow, even when people would start going to bed at this time, it was like there was a whole new life in the night time. If she could, she wanted to explore the so-called 'night life' she's heard about before._

_Coming out of her thoughts, she looked at the hand reaching towards her, then back at Nazo. With a grin, she gently took his hand, stepping onto the train with him._

"Yep, lead the way."

_Today was almost over, but there was always tomorrow. All they had to do was get the emeralds, go to the hotel, sleep, and continue the next day! Things have been relatively peaceful... it made her wonder if the Doctor had anything planned... it was scary whenever he was off the radar._


	10. VI

_Finishing some final installments into yet another piece of machinery, Eggman grumbled to himself, taking one last look at the current area he was tinkering on._

_Raising himself to his feet with a sinister grin stretching from ear to ear, Eggman took a few steps backwards to admire his newest piece of technology._

_With Metal Sonic’s arm hooked up to the machine, Eggman watched the screen as downloads from Sonic and Shadow copied data transferred from Metal to the device._

“You see Metal, your data copying may not be so up to date, considering it’s been a minute since you’ve encountered those pesky hedgehogs..

However! With the Information we _do_ have, we can make something extraordinary! Something that _will_ listen to my commands!”

_As the data began to finally reach its completed point, Eggman’s grin only seemed to grow wider, with gloved fingers tapping against a surface of his newest creation._

“Taking the knowledge from Nazo’s battle against the duo, we figured out that for a very, _very_ short time the duo was able to fuse..

But! What if we took their data, created a host, and fused the data to create one ultimate hedgehog that not even Nazo could withstand? Most importantly! Follow my every command!”

_Watching the download data finally finish processing, Eggman could practically feel his heart thumping against his rib cage as he watched lasers, Metal hands, whatever you could name go busy at work to bring a creature into this world._

“We’ll never have to worry about pesky hedgehogs again! We’ll never have to worry about my emeralds being snatched under my nose! And with my tracker set on Lucille? My newest creation won’t have a problem finding Nazo, that panda, and my precious emeralds!”

_As the creature was being brought to life, it's first moments of living were... beyond words. It felt as if he were waking up for the very first time. Despite the fact that he was created with the DNA of both Sonic and Shadow, he did not retain any of their memories except for the battles. So, he had no idea if waking up every day felt like this._

_Slowly, he opened his eyes, looking onto the world with curiosity._

_The machines finally stopped tweaking with him, pulling away and releasing him onto the cold, metal floor. Landing on one knee, he slowly stood up- the silence in the room was suddenly deafening._

_With a new sense of his surroundings, he finally spoke; a deep, almost sinister voice came out._

"Doctor... I must thank you for my creation. Tell me, what is it that I am here for?"

_He was already looking at the Doctor, judging by his...lack of strength, this man was not worthy of being an opponent to him. No, not worthy at all. Much less worthy of commanding him. The hedgehog wanted to test out his body, his strength. How could he do it?_

_With a toothy, sinister grin stretching from ear to ear, Eggman watched as the final pieces of his newest project clicked together; and out of the machinery stepped not a being made of metal, but organic life._

_He’d done it; he successfully created a hedgehog of his own that will most certainly bring Sonic and his resistance to their knees._

_Cackling, the Doctor took a step back and admired the new life before him, clearing his throat before beginning his own introduction._

“My my! Quite the polite one we have here! Oh-ho, the pleasure is all _mine_! I must say, you were rather difficult to plan up, I was almost afraid it wouldn’t work out.. however! That’s just something I should never have to worry about! I _am_ a genius afterall!”

_Clearing his throat, he continued._

“My name is Robotnik, however, please refer to me as ‘Doctor’ as you’re doing so now! And what you’re here for? Well, there’s quite _a lot_ you’re here for, but this is by far your far most important task. Forgive me for shoving so much to you on your first assignment but I need you to track down a certain minion of mine who happened to escape. A certain test subject of mine happened to break her and himself out of the facility, along with taking the Chaos Emeralds..

It shouldn’t be _too_ hard of a task! After all, I have a tracking device pinned to one of them! Think you can do it?-

Ah, but before we can, we best come up with a name for you, yes?”

_Too much? For him? He could almost laugh! With such strength like his in this body, there wasn't anything that he couldn't do. Track down some out of line test subjects? That was the easiest thing he's heard- he almost wanted to ask if he could find them without the tracking device. Oh well, best to not piss off his creator so soon- there was a lot he could do with this._

_The chaos emeralds? Now those were what he truly wanted to go after- with those gems, he could easily overthrow every person in the world, enslaving them and making them do his bidding. That was what he had in mind, not some stupid game of hide and seek._

_In time, Seelkadoom, in time._

"Track down and bring back your minions and the emeralds, is that all? This should be a piece of cake, I'll have those brought back to you before you could even say Chaos Control!"

_Seelkadoom let out a chuckle- oh yes, he could most definitely reach those two before late morning tomorrow. Unfortunately, neither Sonic nor Shadow had a flying ability- so it looks like he'll be tracking them down on foot. Not to worry, he did inherit quite the speed._

"What name did you have in mind, Doctor?"

_Oh, the Doctor wanted to pick out his name? A shame, he doubted that it would be better than the one he already gave to himself._

_With fingers brushing through his frizzled mustache in thought, Eggman grumbled to himself as pondered over a list of names._

_Finally, he opened his mouth with a wide grin, almost excited to give name to his newest creation._

“You shall go by Sonaw! A mixture of the names of those hedgehogs!

Afterall, you’re far superior!”

_He seems to not be making too much sense but.. anywho._

“I’m pleased to hear that this task won’t be difficult! I should’ve known! Afterall, you are my creation!”

_....Sonaw? Really? Seelkadoom had to keep himself from deadpanning at the name- it was definitely not what he had in mind, but it looks like that's what he's sticking with, for now._

"Sonaw, a perfect name, Doctor."

_Lying right through his teeth, he kept a smirk on his face. At least the Doctor was right, he was far superior than both Sonic and Shadow, and he would prove it._

"I'll get right on it, Doctor. I promise you won't be disappointed."

_And with that, Seelkadoom left the base, on the search for the two escapees._


End file.
